Distributing mechanism of typographical composing machines



T. DRAKE AND R. D- CARTER. DISTRIBUTING MECHANISM OF TYPOGRAPHICAL COMFOSING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 9, I92]- Patented Aug. 8, 1922.

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TOM DRAKE AN D ROBERT DUDLEY CARTER, 0F BBOAIDHEATH, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOHS T0 LINO'IYPE AND MACHINERY LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, A LIMITED LIA- BILITY COMPANY OF GREAT BRITAIN.

DISTRIBUTING MECHANISM OF TYEOGRAPHIGAL COMPOSING MACHINES.

Application filed April 9,

To (6 to 710m it may concern:

Be it lmown that we, Ton DRAKE and lionnnr Dunnnr CARTER, both subjects of t .e King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and l reland, and residing at Linotype and llLh-rchinery lVorlzs, Broadheath, in the county of Chester, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in the Distributing liiiechanism ot T'ypographical Composing livl achines, of which the followis a specification.

This invention relates to the distributing mechanism of. typographical composing machines such. as those known commercially under the trade mark Linotype and it has for its object so to construct that mechanism. that the rate of distribution of the matrices per revolution of the distril'nitor screws may he conveniently increased.

In the above particularized machines as ordinarily constructed, the mat ices are traversed along; a permuted distributor bar by three distributor screws with the convolutions of which, the matrices are caused to engage by a so-called matrix lifter which lifts them at the rate of one per revolution of the said screws, this matrix-lifter being actuated. by a single-lobed cam fast to one of the screws. The pitch of the threads of the distributor screws (usually'a quarter inch) has generally corresponded with that of the bar permutations although for the purpose of dealing with matrices of more than normal thickness, it has heretofore been proposed to increase the pitch of the distributor screws to a half inch. in the use of the last mentioned screws, however, while the increase of pitch provides for an increase in the rate of traverse of the matrices along the distributor bar, the absolute rate of distribution remains unaifected, as the matrices must still be fed to the screws at the rate of one per revolution. As far as the speed of distribution is concerned, there fore, the advantage of the increased pitch is limited to an increase in the rate of traverse of the matrices along the distributor bar.

The present invention secures an increase in the absolute rate of distribution by attaining the dual result of an increase in the speed of matrix-traverse along the distributor bar and an increase of the number of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1922.

Serial No. 459,865.

matrices engaged with that bar per revolution of the distributor screws.

The invention will now be described by reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a rear elevation of suiiicient of the aforesaid distributingmechanism to illustrate the embodiment therein of the present invention, and

Figure 2 is a face view of the double-lobed cam employed therein.

Except as regards the hereinafter particularized parts the mechanism represented 'in the drawings is of the ordinary wellknown construction, 1 being the distributor beam, 2 the permuted distributor bar, 3 the matrixdifter, the bowl 4: of which is actuated by the distributor cam, the last-named being, in accordance with the present invention, of special construction as hereinafter described. 5 is the distributor-box, also of ordinary construction, from which matrices are successively raised by the lifter 3 on to the distributor-box rails 6 and into engagement with the distributor screws.

The last-named screws 7, in accordance with the present invention, are distinguished from those heretofore used by having the screw threads thereon increased both as to pitch and number. The example illustrated. in the drawings shows each such screw provided with two threads and in order to more clearly demonstrate this feature, one of the threads, in contra-distinction to the other, has the portions of its convolutions which would otherwise be invisible, indicated by dotted lines; furthermore, the pitch of the screws is increased to double that of distributor screws of ordinary construction.

With distributor screws 7 of the just-mentioned construction it is obvious that two matrices can be engaged with the screws at each revolution thereof, and in order to effect such engagement it is necessary for the matrix-lifter?) to operate twice per revolution of said screws instead of once as ordinarily. To attain this result the cam 8 which operates the lifter 3 is, as shown in Figure 2, provided with two lobes 9, the said cam being in known manner rigidly secured to the shaft of one of the distributor screws 7 It will be understood that there are the usual two upper distributor screws 7 (only one of which is illustrated in the drawings), one on each side oi the distributor bar 2, and one lower distributor screw, these being geared together and having their threads inclined in accordance with .their respective direction of rotation.

As, with the above named arrangement, the distributor mechanism is capable of dealing with double the number of matrices per revolution of the distributor screws, it will be obvious that a rate of distribution considerably above normal may be secured although the distributor screws are being rotated at less than normal speed, and the rate of traverse of the matrices along the distributor bar 2, by reason of this reduced speed of rotation, will be kept within safe and convenient limits without any risk of the matrices accumulating in the distributorboX, although such'rate of traverse may and preferably should be above normal notwithstanding the reduced speed of rotation ofthe screws.

vHaving thus described our invention, its

construction and mode of operation, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows 1. Distributing mechanism such as described, having a distributor bar, and a plurality of distributor screws, characterized by means for feeding a plurality of matrices 3 In the distributing mechanism of a typographical composing machine, the .combination with a distributor screw having a plurality of threads, of amatrix-liitter actuating cam having a corresponding plurality of actuating surfaces.

4. Typographical distributing mechanism including, in combination, a rotary screw formed with a plurality of threads, and means whereby a corresponding plurality of matrices may be fed to said screw at each rotation thereof.

5. Typographical distributing mechanism including, in combination, a multiple-thread screw, a reciprocating finger for feeding matrices one at a time to saidscrew, and. means for imparting a plurality of reciprocations to saidfinger at each rotation of the I In. witness whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names.

TOM DRAKE. ROBERT DUDLEY CARTER. I 

